Trace review: Rachael Brown's riveting look at a cold-case murder

Trace: Who Killed Maria James?

Rachael Brown

Scribe, $29.99

Bearing the traces of its origins as a podcast, Trace is a polyphonic narrative about revisiting the cold-case murder of bookshop-owner Maria James. The consequences of opening old wounds – for James' sons, for the original detective on the case and for Rachael Brown as she uncovers new evidence and testimony – are central to the slowly mounting tension and urgency of Trace. The story takes an increasingly bizarre turn as two Catholic priests are implicated as suspects and evidence emerges of a possible cover-up by the church and the police force. By weaving audience responses to the podcasts into the narrative, Brown highlights how cold cases continue to reverberate through the lives of those touched by the crime and through the wider community.

Rachael Brown is a guest at Melbourne Writers Festival. mwf.com.au